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Kenai, Service Dog in Training
Last fall when our beloved chocolate labrador Lex died, my husband Jim and I both felt like we could never replace her. She had been a part of our family for so many years. As much as she was missed, and we knew she was still “around” (http://a-visit-from-lex), we also no longer had to make arrangements to kennel her when we left town. She was an alpha female and didn’t get along with other animals. Since both our sons lived out of state and had pets, kenneling had been a must. The freedom seemed like the opening for a new lifestyle for us, so when friends asked if we would…
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Appalachian Trail, Part 2
Our first morning in Watauga Dam Campground came early. I turned the alarm on my phone off an hour before its scheduled blast at 5 a.m. because I was awake most of the night. Today was the day. Today we would hike a section of the 3,000+ mile historic Appalachian Trail. Adrenaline was surging through my veins as I woke Jim and we stuffed our packs with water, trail snacks, extra wool socks, and gloves in silence. The silence wasn’t for any reason other than Jim doesn’t talk much anymore. Damn Alzheimer’s. We drove into the dark to meet Dee Ann, our local hiking partner, at the McDonald’s in Hampton,…
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Appalachian Trail, Part 1
A few days after I bought the camper and we headed to Minnesota to begin our journey to outrun my husband Jim’s Alzheimer’s, I received a phone call from my brother-in-law’s cousin Dee Ann. I heard words I had never expected to hear. “I remember you and Jim coming over to our house when I was a teenager. You guys had just come back from a big backpacking trip and you made an impression on me. You two were wearing real hiking boots and clothing that were well worn, and you sat there and didn’t say a word until someone asked about your trip.” “Dee Ann, I didn’t have any…
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The Adventures of Orville and Narvel
Many, many years ago, we were part of a band of free spirits who went to Big Bend National Park and spent the month between Christmas and college spring semester backpacking. We all had names like Orville, Narvel, Doc Emmit, Wandy, Hecker, and The Booze; names that were to be spoken with the longest, most drawn-out southern drawl one could possibly muster. We named our group the Big Belly Sunset Watchers Club and we watched gorgeous sunsets from the canyons and the Chisos Mountains in the Chihuahuan Desert. Fast forward 35 years: Orville and I (Narvel) bought a camper and new car to pull it. We are a long way…
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Dark Before Our Dawn
Last week, I didn’t have a thing to say here. It was a dark week and love compelled me to get to work heading problems off at the pass. It began when my husband Jim wanted to “have a talk” as we sat drinking coffee on the patio early one morning. A pit formed in my stomach and it ended up being accurate intuition on my part. He said, “I’m on an island and I’m drowning. I need to do something.” When he can string words together to convey his thoughts, it’s a good day. And after being together 41 years, I can often fill in the blanks when I…
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The Sun Singer
The most common question I am asked these days (besides if I have a pencil a student “can” use) is, “How did you know your husband has Alzheimer’s?” Sometimes before I respond, the well-meaning person may say, “Did he forget where he left his keys or what he was going into a room to do, because I do that all the time?” Well sure, he has done those things, but haven’t most of us? No, it was much more dramatic than that. Jim’s mother had Alzheimer’s and her mother probably had it, since she was placed into a care facility at a young age. Like anyone in a family with…
